A man does not become a father the day his child is born. He is becoming one much earlier – in the responsibilities he accepts, the thoughts he carries about his child’s future, the plans he makes and the life he hopes to build for his child. Fatherhood is often expressed not through words, but through consistent action – in the effort to provide, protect and care every day.

Father’s Day – The Journey of Recognising Fathers

On 9 May 1909, while attending a Mother’s Day church service, a question struck a young woman named Sonora Smart Dodd: “Why is there no day honouring fathers?”

After losing her mother at the age of 16, she witnessed her father raise her and her siblings with dedication and strength. This experience inspired her lifelong commitment to recognising fathers and their role in shaping families.

Her efforts led to the first Father’s Day celebration on 19 June 1910. However, it wasn’t until 1972 that the day received official recognition in the United States, when President Richard Nixon declared it a national holiday, fulfilling a six-decade-long vision of a woman who was then in her 80s.

Today, Father’s Day is celebrated worldwide on the third Sunday of June.

Like a father, Akshaya Patra Strives to Protect Childhood

When one becomes a father, his everyday work is about ensuring his children are fed, educating them and empowering them to stand on their feet. When Akshaya Patra started its journey in 2000 with 1,500 children, the idea behind it was to serve warm, nutritious mid-day meals every day and thus ensure no child is deprived of education because of hunger.

Today, with the support of central and state governments, corporates and well-wishers, we feed 2.35 million children across India. The success stories of children whose lives were transformed just because they received mid-day meals at schools make all the challenges we faced worthwhile, just as a father feels proud seeing his child win in life.

Fatherhood in Action: Voices from the Ground

For fathers like Devraj, ensuring that their children receive nutritious food at school every day is a huge relief.

Like a Father, We Show up Every Day

Just as a father leaves home every day so that his child can learn, grow and dream without worry, thousands of Akshaya Patra team members begin their day with a similar purpose – to serve millions of children across the country. You can also be part of this endeavour.

Join Us

This Father’s Day, honour your father or father-like figures by serving mid-day meals to a child who needs your support the most. By contributing, you become part of one of the most trusted NGOs in India, inspiring millions of dreams to come true.

This day, let’s carry forward the meaning of responsibility our fathers taught us. Make a charity donation today.

Every child deserves someone who believes in their future. Will you be one?

Every morning, Jyotsnarani packs her daughter Tanmayee’s school bag with care. She tidies her uniform, checks her books and sends her off with a quiet reassurance that only a mother can give. Like every mother, she wishes she could give her everything she needs, especially the certainty of a full, nourishing meal each day.

But there was a time when one worry stayed with her throughout the day, would she have enough to eat?

For many families across India, this gap between what mothers wish to provide and what they are able to provide is a daily reality. While a mother’s instinct is always to protect and nurture, circumstances don’t always allow it. And when a child’s nutrition is compromised, so is their ability to learn and grow.

This Mother’s Day, we are reminded that motherhood is not just about love, it is also about ensuring child nutrition, about making sure no child is held back by hunger.

In a government school not far from home, the lunch bell rings. Children gather with anticipation, their energy shifting as freshly prepared meals are served. For Jyotsnarani’s daughter, and millions like her, this meal is an assurance. It is a continuation of her mother’s care, even in her absence.

Through the PM POSHAN initiative (earlier Mid-Day Meal Programme), children across the country receive nutritious meals every school day. These meals play a vital role in strengthening child nutrition, helping children stay in school and focus better.

A teacher from the school shares, “There was a time when many children would sit quietly, distracted and low on energy. Today, after receiving regular meals, they are more attentive, more active and eager to participate. You can see the difference in their confidence.”

This change may seem simple, but its impact is profound. When children receive proper nutrition, they are not just able to concentrate better, they begin to engage, express and believe in their own potential.

As a trusted NGO in India, Akshaya Patra works to bridge this gap between a mother’s intent and a child’s reality. Every day, the Foundation prepares and delivers millions of meals to schoolchildren across the country with reliability and care, without fail.

In many ways, this effort reflects a mother’s promise that a child will not go hungry. It is a commitment that goes beyond individual homes and becomes a shared responsibility.
Each meal served is more than nourishment. It tells a child: you are cared for, you are seen, you matter.

This Mother’s Day, the celebration can become an act of compassion. By choosing to support initiatives that feed people in need, you help carry forward that promise to children who need it the most.

A simple step can make a meaningful difference. When you donate online, you help ensure that a child receives the nourishment they need to learn and grow. You become part of a larger movement, one that extends a mother’s care into classrooms across the country.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let us honour not just the love that mothers give, but also the responsibility we share in supporting them. Because when we come together to nourish a child, we are strengthening the future of a nation.

Motherhood is about sustaining life. With care. With dignity. And with the nourishment that helps every child rise.

Sustaining a child’s life can begin with a single decision. This Mother’s Day, take that step. Donate to help feed children and ensure that they receive the nourishment they need to rise beyond classroom hunger.